The ensemble is known for its traversal of the complete string cycles of a single composer, and in recent years have toured and recorded the quartets of Elliott Carter, Mendelssohn, Beethoven and Shostakovich.

Vergara invited Simin Ganatra, originally from southern California but still a student in Oberlin, Ohio, and filled in the application with the name, "Pacifica Quartet", having yet to hold a single rehearsal.

Ganatra invited cellist Brandon Vamos, who was finishing graduate school in New Haven, Connecticut, resulting in a part-time, cross-country commitment.

Within a year, the group went full-time when they all moved from their respective locations to the Chicago area for post-graduate study, although Vergara soon returned to California and was eventually replaced by Sibbi Bernhardsson, establishing the first long-term iteration of the quartet.

[20] In addition to five concerts during the season, the Pacifica Quartet gave master classes and free noon-time lecture demonstrations throughout the festival.